We all know hockey is a stressful game. The intensity, the stakes, the lifelong dreams we all want to play out.

And that’s just the parents!

Jokes aside, it’s impossible to understand completely what’s going on inside the young minds of our youth hockey players. We don’t know what they’re feeling. As coaches, however, we can build an experience around them that maximizes the positive lessons they learn while they’re under our watch. Those lessons come from teaching the right things in practice, fixing mistakes on and off the ice, and designing an environment in which it’s easy and fun to learn all about our great game. But don’t take my word for it. Last week we heard from Dave Starman at the 2018HCC, Gene Reilly from the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL, and long-time contributor Walter Aguilar to chime in about teambuilding and hockey culture.